A frame for accurately positioning and mounting electrical connectors

ABSTRACT

Described is a frame for positioning a number of electrical connectors for use with an automatic wire-wrapping machine. The frame is used by providing a jig having a master reference pin and located therefrom a number of paired alignment pins. Moldedin alignment holes on the connectors mate with the paired alignment pins when the connectors are mounted upon the jig. The frame has a rectangular opening that fits about the positioned connectors while oversized pair alignment openings in the frame are adapted to receive machine screws which are then threaded in mating holes in the connectors. The frame also has a second hole for mounting over the master reference pin which corresponds to a master reference pin on the automatic wire-wrapping machine. The wrapping machine receives the frame and its mounted electrical connectors after the frame is separated from the jig.

United States Patent Scaminaci, Jr. et al.

[ Aug. 1, 1972 [54] FRAME FOR ACCURATELY POSITIONING AND MOUNTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS [72] Inventors: James Scaminaci, Jr., Newbury Park, Calif; Robert G. Knowles,

2 1' A'ppl. No.: 48,692

\ Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 760,499, Sept. 18, 1968,

Pat. No. 3,641,666.

[52] US. Cl. ..29/271, 269/40, 269/45, 269/287, 269/321 W [51] Int. Cl. ..B23p 19/04, 1325b l/24, B23q 3/18 [58] Field of Search ..269/40, 45, 47, 287, 321 W,

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,073,588 1/ 1963 Morton ..269/40 3,221,394 12/1965 Pitts ..269/45 X 2,870,728 1/1959 Goodykoontz ..269/45 X 2,921,550 l/1960 Goodykoontz ..269/40X Primary Examiner-WayneA. Morse, Jr. Attomey-Alan C. Rose, Ronald W. Reagin, Alfred B. Levine and Joseph H. Galant [5 7] ABSTRACT Described is a frame for positioning a number of electrical connectors for use with an automatic wirewrapping machine. The frame is used by providing a jig having a master reference pin and located therefrom a number of paired alignment pins. Moldedin alignment holes on the connectors mate with the paired alignment pins when the connectors are mounted upon the jig. The frame has a rectangular opening that fits about the positioned connectors while oversized pair alignment openings in the frame are adapted to receive machine screws which are then threaded in mating holes in the connectors. The frame also has a second hole for mounting over the master reference pin which corresponds to a master reference pin on the automatic wire-wrapping machine. The wrapping machine receives the frame and its mounted electrical connectors after the frame is separated from the jig.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAus 1 m2 31580.1 93

/27 23 rpm. 20 INVENTORS n n n JAMES SCAM/M40, JR. ulwulu u I Roamra KNOWLES l- I I I I FRAME FOR ACCURATELY POSITIONING AND MOUNTING ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS This is a division of application Serial No. 760,499, filed September 18, 1968, now Patent No. 3,641,666 issued February 16, 1971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention This invention relates to a frame for accurately positioning and mounting the electrical connectors and more particularly to a frame for precisely locating and packaging electrical connectors and for supporting the connectors during automatic wiring operations.

2 Description of the Prior Art In 1958 the Garner-denver Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan introduced a punch-card controlled machine that would automatically strip insulation from a solid wire, properly route it on a wiring panel, and

then wrap it around the desired terminal post of an electrical connector thereby effecting a'solderless wrap interconnection quickly and inexpensively. The Gardner-Denver automatic wire-wrapping machine has the capability of terminating over 500 wires an hour, thereby reducing wire terminating costs by more than 400 percent over the older manual'method of wirewrapping. In the wire-wrapping process the bare end of an insulated wire is wrapped about a terminal post having sharp corners. Since the wrapping is done under tension, the wire and the terminal post are deformed at the point of contact, i.e., the corners. Thus the wrapped wire is held to the past by the stresses left in the wire and the post. The average pressure between the wire and the post is 30,000 psi; this pressure is more than sufficient to meet the requirements of a gas-tight connection. With the advent of the automatic wirewrapping machine however, came stringent requirements for the position in the X-Y plane of connector terminal posts. The posts must be positioned within a circle of radius 0.010 inch (or a circle with diameter 0.020 inch) centered at the true position.

The prior art is replete with examples of various schemes for exactly locating terminal posts in an effort to take advantage of the expediencies offered by the automatic wire-wrapping machine. An early scheme required a precision punched metal screen into which individual terminal posts were placed and then straightened. This scheme was expensive because the screen was difficult to precision manufacture due to metal growth during the punching process and screen rolling or bending as eachrow was punched. Secondly, placement of individual terminal posts was time consuming as well as expensive and required the additional process step of press fitting nylon bushings into the punched screen and then the placement in the bushing of the terminal post. Finally, each row of terminal posts must then be straightened, requiring still another process step and added expense.

An improvement scheme comprised providing a quad block, that is, a small block into which four terminal posts were inserted. The four pins of the quad block were then pressed into four corresponding openings in the precision punched screen. Still a further improvement on the precision punched screen approach was the placement of a plurality of posts in a flexible connector block which were then fitted into the corresponding openings in a screen. However, all of the above schemes still required the precision punched metal screen with its inherent disadvantages and expensive processing costs.

As the industry moved toward the rigid electrical connector block where the terminals were located in a solid plastic base so as to give the terminal posts structural integrity, various schemes were developed to obviate the need of the precision punched metal screen. One such system developed a plate in which larger openings the size of the connector block were punched with extremely close tolerances being required at the end of the rectangular punched opening to correctly position the connector. Such plates were still expensive to manufacture and additionally required that the electrical connector have close tolerances since the electrical connector became the major positioning body. Still another technique was the replacement of the precision punched metal screen by a printed circuit board having a plurality of openings to correspond to each of the terminal posts in a connector or series of connectors. This scheme, while easier to keep tolerances because of the inherent advantage of a printed circuit board type screen overv the precision punched metal screen, still required an expensive manufacturing process and still required the straightening of the terminal posts once relatively positioned by the printed circuit board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENtION All of the above disadvantages have been alleviated by the present invention which provides a frame for positioning electrical connectors for wire-wrapping comprising the steps of providing a jig means for positioning the electrical connector relative to a master reference location, locating the electrical connector according to the positioning means, providing a frame means for positioning and supporting the electrical connector, the supporting frame means having means for enabling the electrical connector to be attached to the supporting frame means and attaching the electrical connector to the supporting frame means as positioned by the positioning means. A preferred embodiment of the frame means for supporting electrical connectors comprises a plate having at least one opening for receiving the connectors, the plate having paired apertures disposed on opposite sides of the opening for receiving screws which mate with threaded apertures in the connectors and the plate having a second opening spaced from the first mentioned opening for receiving a master reference pin for precisely locating the plate.

An object of the present invention is to proVide a frame for accurately aligning terminal posts quickly and inexpensively with a relatively low rate of misalignment rejection.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a frame for aligning terminal posts so as to minimize the downtime of an automatic wire-wrapping machine.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a supportinG means or frame for electrical connectors which is simple, easily manufactured and inexpensive, and which allows for accurate placement of the terminal posts of the electrical connectors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a precision jig upon which are mounted a number of electrical connectors.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing wherein like referenced numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a preciSion jig having a number of electrical connectors 12 mounted thereto; Anelectrical connector comprises a molded body 14 which maybe of glassfilled diallyl phthalate having a predetermined number of anchored terminal posts 16 which are to receive the wire wrap. Theterminal posts 16 are of homogeneous drawn, high tensile phosphor bronze wire having'an .025 inch square crosssection. Each connector has two ears 18 which maybe molded integral with the body 14,. each ear having ;a threaded hole, 20 which is adapted to receive a machine screw. A more detailed description of the electrical connector is given ina copending application, Serial No. 760,561 titled Electrical Connector With Twisted Posts assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

The ends 22 of the terminal posts 16 require the critical positioning within the above mentioned 0.020-inch diametercircle so as to be operable with the automatic wire-wrapping machine. Within a surface 23, FIG. 4,v

oppositely disposed from a surface 24, FIG. 1 of the body 14 from which the terminal posts 16 extend, .is a

polarized position relative the master reference pin 28. The master pin 28, in the present embodiment, is provided witha flattened circular cross section while the second pin 30 has a circular cross section, FIG. 1.

To insure that the ends 22 of the terminal posts are precisely located the posts are straightened during the same operation that twists the posts for anchoring them in the base 14. For more detail of the twisting and straightening operation reference is made to co-pending application, Serial No. 760,404 titled Device For Twisting And'Aligning Terminal Posts Of An Electrical Connector, now U.S.-Pat. No. 3,580,297, assigned to the assignee of the present application. The'combination of a round pin andia round flattened pin provides for an exactly located electrical connector which is rigidly retained in the direction of the .Y-axis and allowed a slight movement in the direction of the X-axis to compensate for mold shrinkage of the plastic body 14. I

Referring now to FIG. '2, there is shown the plate 26 v with the mounted electricalconnectors 12 as shown in longitudinal cavity 25 which is adapted to receive the 7 terminal end of a printed circuit board (not shown). The ends 27 of the terminal posts 16 opposite ends 22 are bifurcated and are disposed along the peripheryof the longitudinal cavity 25 so asto make contact with the circuitry of the printed circuit board.

The jig 10 comprises a flat plate 26 into which is positioned a master reference pin 28. The master reference pin 28 corresponds to an. analogous. pin located on the automatic ,wire-wrapping machine and is used to measure distances and locations for the arms of the automatic wire-wrapping machine. For convenience a second pin 30 is located on the plate 26 to act as a guide for a supporting means as explained hereinafter.

Accurately positioned on the plate 26 is a series of paired positioning or alignment pins 32. Each pin is independently measured from the master reference pin 28 and each is within 0.001. inchof true position. Of eachpair of pins 32, one has a circular cross section while the otherhas a flattened circular cross section (that is, having a configuration whichis a portion of a circle with two parallel chords forming a part of the periphery). The pairs of pins 32 cooperate with square andround molded-in alignment openings 29 and 31, respectively FIG. 4, in the body 14 was to accurately locate each of the. connectors relative the master reference pin 28. In turn each of the terminal posts 16 is precisely located from the two alignment openings 29 j and 31 so that the terminal posts 16 are in exact FIG. 1. In addition, mounted upon plate 26 is a supporting meanS 40 for the electrical connectors. The supportinG means 40 comprises a frame plate 41 having two rectangular openings 42 which allow the ter minal posts 16 of the electrical connector 12 to protrude so as to receive wire-wrapping. Disposed on opposite sides of each of the rectangular openings ,42 are a series of paired alignment apertures 44 corresponding to the holes 20 in the ears 18 0F the electrical connectors 12. Hence, by inserting a machine screw 46, more clearly shown in FIG. 3, into theaperture and .threading it into the hole 20 of the electrical connector,

second set of openings, elongated opening 48 and circular opening 50 (FIG. 2) which are diagonally disposed across the supporting means. These openings 48 and 50 correspond to the flattened master reference pin 28 and the circular pin 30 for precisely locating and polarizing the supporting means relative the jig. It isrecalled the master reference pin 28 corresponds to an analogous reference location on the automatic. wire- 7 wrapping machine so that after the electrical connectors are spaced and positioned correctly and attached to the supporting means, the supporting means may be removed from the jig l0 F IG'. 3 illustrates the supportinG member 40 with the attached electrical connectors 12) and may then be directly transferred to the automatic wire-wrapping machine with the terminal posts 16 having their ends 22 in the proper X-Y alignment as required by the automatic wire-wrapping machine.

It is to be understood that the geometry ofthe jig l0 and supporting means 40 as shown is an example only and that the jig plate26 may take a variety of geometric configurations depending upon the required design locations of the electrical connectors. It is also to be understood that the electrical connectors may be placed in any combination in a variety of differently shaped openings in the supporting means as required by the stack with which the electrical connectors will be mated. For example, as viewed in FIG. 1 the left side of the jig has six electrical connectors mounted in a row immediately adjacent to each other in a rectangular opening while the right side has one electrical connector spaced from two immediately adjacent electrical connectors. The openings 42 in the frame plate 41 could be made square or two smaller openings could be formed or the plate could be extended and a third opening added. Further, it is noted that in FIG. 2 there is room for more electrical connectors to be added if such may become necessary at a later date or if the design configuration of the mating stack is changed.

The first step in packaging the electrical connector is providing a-means for positioning the electrical connectors relative to a master reference location; in the preferred embodiment this takes the form of the jig with master reference pin 28 and the paired alignment pins 32. The next step is that of locating the electrical connectors according to the positioning means which entails mounting the electrical connectors 12 using the alignment openings 29 and 31 in the connector to the pair of alignment pins 32. The next step is that of providing a means for supporting the electrical connectors with the supporting means having means fOr enabling the electrical connector to be attached to the supporting means. In the preferred embodiment the supportinG means 40 has the paired apertures .44 which are adapted to receive machine screws for threadedly engaging the electrical connectors. The last step is that of attaching the electrical connectors to the supporting means as positioned by the positioning means. This is accomplished by using the machine screws to attach the electrical connectors 12 to the supporting means 40; since the paired apertures 44 are oversized, location of the machine screws 46 is determined by alignment of the electrical connectors which in turn is determined by the paired alignment pins 32 on the jig 10.

Once the electrical connectors are attached to the supporting means, the supporting means is separated from the jib by a parallel lift-off and transferred to the automatic wire-wrapping machine.

Once .again it is to be understood that various changes can be made to the elements as shown in FIGS. 1, .2, 3 and 4 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. As an example, the paired alignment pins 32 on the jig 10 may be replaced by a series of parallel ribs which would fit into the longitudinal cavity 25, FIG. 4 ineach of the connectors and thereby act as a precise positioning means. Likewise the alignment pins 32 may beused and be located to fit in the extremeends of the longitudinal cavity to act as a positioning means. Or, still another derivation may be accomplished by having the alignment pins fit within the openings 30 in each of the cars 18 of the connector to act as a positioning means. Similarly the master reference pin 28 may be replaced by another suitable reference device with an analogous device being used on the automatic wire-wrapping machine. Finally, the meansof attaching the electrical connectors to the supporting means may be by a suitable clip rather than the disclosed machine screws.

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

LII

l. A frame for accurately positioning and mounting a plurality of electrical connector means, comprising;

said connector means having a pair of mounting apertures, first and second connector alignment openings, and a plurality of connector terminal posts aligned from said connector alignment openings;

alignment jig means:

a master reference pin mounted on said alignment jig means;

a plurality of first and second alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means and aligned from said master reference pin for respectively receiving said first and second connector alignment openings within said connector means thereby aligning and polarizing said connector means and said connector terminal posts therein on said alignment jig means:

support frame means having at least one opening for receiving said alignment connector means and an opening for receiving said master reference pin;

said support frame means having paired apertures disposed on opposite sides of said opening; and

fastener means passing through said paired apertures disposed on opposite side of said opening of said support frame means and into said paired mounting apertures within said connector means for mounting said connector means in polarized alignment upon said supprt frame means as aligned and polarized on said alignment jig means prior to the removal of said support frame means from said alignment jig means.

2. A frame as claimed in Claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of first and second alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means includes said first pin means characterized as having a cylindrical cross section and said second pin means characterized as having a flattened cylindrical cross section; and

said first and second connector alignment openings within said connector means include first and second openings having a cylindrical cross section and a square cross section for polarized alignment with said first and second pin means.

3. A frame for accurately aligning a plurality of connector means within a wire-wrapping machine, comprising:

said connector means having mounting apertures, connector alignment apertures, and a plurality of connector terminal posts aligned from said connector alignment apertures;

alignment jig means having a master reference locator thereon;

alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means and aligned from said master reference location for receiving said connector alignment apertures within said connector means and aligning said connector means and said plurality of connector terminal posts on said alignment jig means;

support frame means having at least one opening for receiving said aligned connector means and an alignment location thereon for aligning said support frame with said master reference locator on said alignment jig means;

said support frame means having paired apertures 4. A frame as claimed in Claim 2, additionally comdisposed on opposite sides of said opening for prising: alignment with said connector mounting apersaid master reference pin mounted on said alignment tures; jig means wherein said pin is characterized as havfastener means passing through said paired apertures ing a flattened cylindrical CrOSS SeCtiOn;

in said support frame means into said mounting a second reference pin mounted on said alignment jig apertures in said connector means for m i means wherein said pin is characterized as having said connector means onsaid aligned support y dr a cross Section;

saidsupport frame opening for receiving said master reference pin characterized as having a flattened cylindrical cross section; and said support frame means having a second opening for receiving said second reference pin characterized as havinga cylindrical cross section for aligning and polarizing said support frame means on said alignment jig means.

frame means, as aligned on said alignment jig means, prior to removing said support frame 10 means from said alignmentjig means; and alignment means within said wire-wrapping machine for engaging said alignment locator on said support frame means for aligning said connector means and said plurality of connector terminal posts within said wire-wrapping machine prior to wrapping wire about said posts. 

1. A frame for accurately positioning and mounting a plurality of electrical connector means, comprising: said connector means having a pair of mounting apertures, first and second connector alignment openings, and a plurality of connector terminal posts aligned from said connector alignment openings; alignment jig means: a master reference pin mounted on said alignment jig means; a plurality of first and second alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means and aligned from said master reference pin for respectively receiving said first and second connector alignment openings within said connector means thereby aligning and polarizing said connector means and said connector terminal posts therein on said alignment jig means: support frame means having at least one opening for receiving said alignment connector means and an opening for receiving said master reference pin; said support frame means having paired apertures disposed on opposite sides of said opening; and fastener means passing through said paired apertures disposed on opposite side of said opening of said support frame means and into said paired mounting apertures within said connector means for mounting said connector means in polarized alignment upon said supprt frame means as aligned and polarized on said alignment jig means prior to the removal of said support frame means from said alignment jig means.
 2. A frame as Claimed in Claim 1, wherein: said plurality of first and second alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means includes said first pin means characterized as having a cylindrical cross section and said second pin means characterized as having a flattened cylindrical cross section; and said first and second connector alignment openings within said connector means include first and second openings having a cylindrical cross section and a square cross section for polarized alignment with said first and second pin means.
 3. A frame for accurately aligning a plurality of connector means within a wire-wrapping machine, comprising: said connector means having mounting apertures, connector alignment apertures, and a plurality of connector terminal posts aligned from said connector alignment apertures; alignment jig means having a master reference locator thereon; alignment pin means mounted on said alignment jig means and aligned from said master reference location for receiving said connector alignment apertures within said connector means and aligning said connector means and said plurality of connector terminal posts on said alignment jig means; support frame means having at least one opening for receiving said aligned connector means and an alignment location thereon for aligning said support frame with said master reference locator on said alignment jig means; said support frame means having paired apertures disposed on opposite sides of said opening for alignment with said connector mounting apertures; fastener means passing through said paired apertures in said support frame means into said mounting apertures in said connector means for mounting said connector means onsaid aligned support frame means, as aligned on said alignment jig means, prior to removing said support frame means from said alignmentjig means; and alignment means within said wire-wrapping machine for engaging said alignment locator on said support frame means for aligning said connector means and said plurality of connector terminal posts within said wire-wrapping machine prior to wrapping wire about said posts.
 4. A frame as claimed in Claim 2, additionally comprising: said master reference pin mounted on said alignment jig means wherein said pin is characterized as having a flattened cylindrical cross section; a second reference pin mounted on said alignment jig means wherein said pin is characterized as having a cylindrical cross section; said support frame opening for receiving said master reference pin characterized as having a flattened cylindrical cross section; and said support frame means having a second opening for receiving said second reference pin characterized as having a cylindrical cross section for aligning and polarizing said support frame means on said alignment jig means. 